Time to Give Away Clothes?

Monday, September 09, 2013

I have lost about 50 pounds (it varies by the day). I still have about 6 more pounds to my goal weight but as I have previously blogged, my dedication and motivation to keep losing is seriously waning. I decided it was time to take control when my size 12 clothes werenít fitting and I had to buy a few size 14 items. I am now down to a size 4/6 depending on the store (I even have one size 2 skirt that I never wear but I had to buy). In the 18 months since I started this journey, I have given away all of my size 14 clothes and most of the size 12. But I basically have clothes in every size from a 2 to a 12. Boxes and boxes worth.

Iím about to buy my first house and Iím doing a preliminary pre-move inventory asking, ďdo I really want to move thisĒ? And as I looked at the boxes in my closet, it seems silly to move all of these clothes that donít fit. Especially in this case, when itís not like I hope Iíll fit into them again one day. In fact, I hope I never fit into them again.

But I also know that life happens and weight loss and maintenance isnít easy and thereís a 95% percent chance that those clothes WILL fit again. And I don't want to have to go buy new clothes when I had a whole wardrobe full.

So whatís a girl to do?? Do I give them all away? Do I keep some? Thoughts, advice, suggestions??

Get rid of all the clothes that are too big. I am a yo-yo dieter and have kept a few things but I wouldn't recommend it. It's better to force yourself back on track by refusing to buy the next size up.

What if you picked a couple of things from each size you've undergrown to give away. That would be a start. Are any of them so old that they are out of style and you really hope that style never comes back? Are there any that are stretched, faded, stained? Those could be the first ones you toss.

I'm writing here what I've been telling myself. I have a similar problem getting rid of larger clothes because so many times I've gained the weight back. I'm just 2 months into this journey but I do have some clothes that are now too big to wear. I'm waffling at getting rid of them and thinking about doing it gradually to show confidence in my ability to not do this again. So I'm going to get rid of three pairs of pants that I've never been happy with even when they were the only things I could wear.

I've gone from a size 20 to a size 12 and I couldn't donate those larger sizes fast enough to a charity. Believe that you are never going back and then work hard to make it a reality. You've come so far, keep going!

One, Two, Three heave ho! Give them all away. Besides after all this time and, heavens forbid, any weight gain in the future, you will need a fashion update.

I see you are part of the At Goal & Maintaining + Transition to Maintenance team. I have read so many positive comments about that team and how they have been the key to helping people maintain. So think positive and know that you will never need those clothes again

I have clothes in size 8 - 14. I have given away the 14s and all of the 12s except for except for one shirt, one pair of jeans and one pair of dress pantsin size 12. So I still have that safety net BUT kind of hard to wear the same thing every day if I gain it back. So that keeps me on track.

I say get rid of them. The thing that spurred me on my latest journey (and which is keeping me from falling off the wagon) is the fact that as soon as it turns cold, I have NO clothes that will fit me. Not even my "fat jeans" from last winter. I'll be cold and nekkid, and I absolutely refuse to go to the store and buy new, bigger clothes.

Maybe keep a selection of the ones you really really like one or two sizes larger, but get rid of those size 12s forever.